burden. The second of the seventh burdens. Damascus. The capital of Syria. is taken away = is swept away. This was by Tiglath-pileser, king of Assyria, and the slaughter of Rezin (632. B.C.) See 2 Kings 16:9 , and 2 Kings 7:9 , 2 Kings 7:16 , above. city. heap. Note the Figure of speech Paronomasia ( App-6 ) Hebrew. me'ir. mei . read more
Note the following lines from Coleridge;The OwletSailing with obscene wings athwart the noon,(He) drops his blue-fringed lids and holds them close,And hooting at the glorious sun in heavenCries out, Where is it?[1]The comments of critical scholars inevitably bring to mind these words of Coleridge! We refer to such as this: "Chapter 17 is made up of fragmentary oracles having little apparent relationship to one another!"[2] On the other hand there is an obvious vital connection in the four parts... read more
Isaiah 17:1. The burden of Damascus— The fourth discourse of the second book of these prophesies is contained in this and the following chapter. The Syrians of Damascus, who bordered upon the Ephraimites, had long lived in a state of hostility with them; but their king Rezin, on receiving some injuries from Uzziah, king of Judah, had united them with himself in an expedition against Jerusalem, which was wholly frustrated. See chap. 7: This disappointment hastened the destruction of these... read more
Isaiah 17:1-3. Behold, Damascus is taken away— We have here the sentence of the divine judgment upon Damascus; wherein are four penal judgments to be inflicted upon that state. The first is the overthrow of Damascus: Behold, Damascus is taken, &c. See chap. Isaiah 25:2. The second is the destruction of the cities of the Damascene valley; Isaiah 17:2. By the cities of Aroer, we understand that celebrated valley which lay between the mountains of Libanus and Anti-Libanus, and possibly among... read more
1. Damascus—put before Israel (Ephraim, Isaiah 17:3), which is chiefly referred to in what follows, because it was the prevailing power in the league; with it Ephraim either stood or fell (Isaiah 17:3- :). read more
God announced that Damascus and the cities of Syria, plus Samaria ("the fortified city," Isaiah 17:3), would soon fall. Assyria destroyed Damascus in 732 B.C. and Samaria in 722 B.C. These cities would lose their sovereignty and glory and would become grazing lands instead of population centers. Nevertheless the almighty God promised that there would be a few people left in Syria, as there would be in Ephraim (cf. Isaiah 18:7). read more
Judgment on Syeia and IsraelThis section is headed,’ oracle concerning Damascus,’ but its subject is in fact wider; it treats of the impending ruin not only of Syria, but also of Ephraim, i.e. the kingdom of Israel (Isaiah 17:3). This connexion of Ephraim with Syria is best explained by the alliance of the two kingdoms against Judah (Isaiah 7:1-2). Isaiah here teaches (as in Isaiah 7:16; Isaiah 8:4) that they will both be completely overthrown, an anticipation which was literally fulfilled... read more
XVII.(1) The burden of Damascus.—Syria, it will be remembered, had been “confederate with Ephraim,” i.e., with the kingdom of Israel, against Judah in the reign of Ahaz, and the prophet had then foretold its overthrow by Assyria (Isaiah 7:1-16). In 2 Kings 16:9, 2 Kings 16:2 Chron. 28:29, we have a partial fulfilment of that prediction. Writing probably early in the reign of Hezekiah, Isaiah now looks forward to a further fulfilment in the future.Damascus is taken away from being a city . .... read more
Through the Material to the Spiritual Isaiah 17:2 It will not appear to be so. Appearance, indeed, will be on the other side. But we are to judge by the harvest, by the end, and not by the appearances. Sometimes it would seem as if the devil reigned. He has everything his own way; he imagines evil, and brings his device to pass; and we say, 'Why should we trouble about God, and of what good is it to pray? He does not trouble us, He does not answer, He does not care for us.' But the Lord has... read more
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Bridgeway Bible Commentary - Isaiah 17:1-14
Syria and Israel condemned (17:1-14)This message belongs to the time of Ahaz, when Israel and Syria joined forces to attack Judah. The two attackers will themselves be destroyed (17:1-3). Israel in particular will suffer, because the nation has turned away from God. Throughout the nation, however, the scattered few remain faithful to God and these will be spared. They are likened to the odd pieces of fruit that remain on the trees after the harvest has been gathered (4-6).The judgments will be... read more